39  Best Agile Practices for Transformational Leaders

Transformational leaders committed to moving towards smart, data-driven management should start thinking about how they can improve their organization’s agility, which means first having a good understanding of what an Agile framework is about and choosing which practices and methodologies are best suited to expedite the implementation of transformation initiatives.

Not surprisingly, one of the main obstacles to adopting an Agile framework and speeding up business transformation is the often misinformed choice of the tools and techniques that are most valuable to teams.

So, this article attempts to answer the following key question that every transformational leader will need to address at some point: What Agile practices are best suited to effectively improve the organization’s business performance in a context of smart business transformation?

Let’s take as a starting point the examination of the different Agile techniques that can contribute the most and best to business transformation and how they differ from traditional methods (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Best Agile practices for transformational leaders

Source: Own elaboration

39.1 Transformation by Incremental Steps

The development philosophy of every Agile project, like that of a business transformation project, is materialized in iterative, short and incremental development cycles that are executed in an evolutionary style.

The iterative and continuously evolving development cycles of the Agile philosophy replace the traditional waterfall style by prioritizing the development of those requirements that the user values most. This allows the team responsible for business transformation to continually adapt the development tasks as the client or user provides feedback to the team.

One of the main obstacles to adopting an Agile framework is the often misinformed choice of the tools and techniques that are most valuable to teams.

Through each iteration, the team incorporates incremental improvements into the final transformation product that are quickly made available to the client/user for feedback. These iterations generally last 2 to 4 weeks, although the final time depends on the nature of the tasks involved.

Through short and rapid cycles, the transformational leader can ensure selective and effective progress in the development of a transformation initiative.

39.2 Team Collaboration and Self-management

Business transformation projects based on Agile principles activate mechanisms that promote strong collaboration between team members, as well as between team members and the customer/end user.

Agile teams, unlike traditional transformation project teams, are independent and self-organized, work fast, manage their tasks, and make their own decisions. Agile teams decide the sequence in which transformation tasks are carried out in each iteration and are responsible for delivering to the customer/user according to committed requirements.

Agile teams are independent and self-organize to work and produce results in very short cycles.

Additionally, Agile team members are discouraged from performing routine or repetitive manual tasks and if any arise, attempts are made to replace them with automated tasks.

39.3 Early and Continuous Testing

For Agile transformation teams to continuously deliver incremental transformation products to customers/users, they need to set up testing mechanisms in advance and test very frequently.

Having automated test systems (e.g., analytics-driven testing) makes it easy for teams to test early in the transformation cycle and ensures that the transformation products created are reliable and accurate to client-user specifications.

In complex transformation settings, it is highly recommended that Agile teams use test-based practices whereby transformational leaders test the results achieved by transformation products as soon as possible.

Once the first tests are completed, the transformation products are updated, and new tests are rerun as necessary until final approval. If the results do not meet expectations, transformational leaders must update the products and test them again.

As you can see the Agile philosophy is therefore aimed at ensuring a robust dynamic of business transformation highly focused on responding to user needs and producing results from the first moment.

In complex transformation settings, it is highly recommended that transformational leaders use test-based practices of transformation products

39.4 Relationships Focused on Change

The traditional approach still used by many transformational leaders in their relationships with technology and knowledge providers is generally to sign a client-supplier contract with terms that were intended to be as complete and detailed as possible.

Any change in the conditions established in the contract is considered negative and the parties always try to do everything possible to avoid it. In business transformation projects managed with an Agile philosophy, a main goal is to eliminate bureaucracy and reduce as much as possible the resources necessary to draft a comprehensive contract between the parties.

Change becomes the rule, not the exception, as the objectives and results pursued by business transformation initiatives constantly change. Therefore, being prepared to respond to changing conditions is an essential attitude that transformational leaders must develop through contracts that are properly aligned.

39.5 Stakeholder Collaboration and Communication

While most contracts typically address expectations of collaboration between the various stakeholders in a transformation initiative, it is difficult to foresee all the requirements that will need to be met to successfully complete a transformation initiative at the time of signing.

Normally, when the time comes to sign a contract, all the needs and requirements that arise from a transformation initiative are unknown, as these cannot be anticipated in advance.

Transformational leaders must be prepared to respond to change in their relationships with technology and knowledge providers

The way to resolve this dilemma is to increase communication between stakeholders to continually approximate expectations and achieve satisfactory delivery. Communication based on Agile principles is a tool that comes to the aid of the transformational leader, offering a framework that encompasses all the communication that occurs between members of the transformation team, with customers and end users, as well as with operations and management teams.

The need to communicate effectively is, therefore, another critical skill that every transformational leader must develop.

39.6 Continuous Delivery

Continuous Delivery is a set of activities and workflow automation process used to deliver new functionalities and features in software development, from ideation to delivery of value to the client-end user.

When transformational leaders use a Continuous Delivery approach in their transformation initiatives, the time from development to production of these initiatives is dramatically reduced and Agile teams can focus on delivering transformation products quickly and incrementally.

Effective communication with the stakeholders of transformation initiatives is a critical skill that every transformational leader must develop.

Once Agile transformation team members receive feedback from clients-end users, they take immediate action to implement that feedback. The team uses the feedback received to learn and improve.

Improvements can be introduced both throughout the transformation process and in the transformation products delivered themselves.

39.7 Conclusion

As the number and complexity of transformation initiatives increases in companies around the world, the speed at which transformational leaders must be able to work also increases. Additionally, stakeholder pressure on transformational leaders to meet growth and profitability expectations is also increasing.

Agile frameworks, although originally born in the world of software development, come to the rescue of transformational leaders as they offer a focused solution to successfully organize and deliver business transformation initiatives. Agile frameworks introduce a philosophy of work and delivery based on incremental results that eliminate processes that consume time and resources and give autonomy to teams to make their own decisions based on continuous communication with stakeholders.

Transformational leaders will have a toolbox at their disposal in Agile practices to be faster, more effective and robust to succeed in their business transformation initiatives.

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